I never met a man I didn’t like.”
William “Will” Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935), American cowboy, comedian, humorist, actor, and social commentator.
I swear this quote has baffled me since the first time I heard it. We were at Will Rogers State Park, and I was 10. I asked my father how it was possible that a man could like everybody, and then ran down a list of people that Will Rogers couldn’t possibly like. I suggested Ms. Pearlman my third grade teacher, The Joker, Benedict Arnold (I thought that would get him), and even the neighbor with the huge mole on her chin that hated our dogs. I couldn’t break him. Dad said Will would have found something right in all of them. Hmmmm. Food for thought. I believe now, it all comes down to understanding intentions. Besides my father and Cowboys are rarely wrong.
As I’ve mentioned in my post entitled “Workability – The Antidote to Abilene,” groupthink can be dismantled through Workability, a concept derived by me during a near escape from a cult. The key components of Workability are: Imagination, Intention, Involvement, Investment, and Integrity. When Workability is high, great things happen. When it is low…the HP tablet and Zune happen.
Despite my having hunted for truly evil people within corporate America, I have found far fewer than I would have imagined. Yes, of course, now and then there are media sensations that end up in white collar prison, vaguely sociopathic bosses, and someone who tries to sell Coke’s trade secrets to Pepsi. However, in general, most people in every meeting you go to are not trying to ruin you or the company. Really.
However, when project teams derail, I’ve noticed an insidious and all-to-common cause. Someone has become demonized. Is the agency trying to trick us into bad work? Is the client stupid or trying to get us fired? Is Jack trying to sabotage the project so his gets funded? Once this happens, it can cycle right down to a place no one ever wanted to go.
How do we avoid this? Be like Will.
A continual refocusing from the beginning on the positive intentions people harbor will contribute directly to success. Guess what. Your advertising agency actually wants to make you billions of dollars. And, your client? She probably just wants a successful and rewarding career, and needs your help to do it.
There will always be personal agendas, but even the most selfish goal is usually to achieve greater success in the organization. Is that really so bad? Put it out there right at the beginning. Be clear about what everyone hopes they are going to get out of participating in a project. The results will impress you, and even better, you’ll be able to discuss problems along the way with greater personal relevance. You work are most likely working with people, not robots. It is better to frame differences in terms of how you’ll help those people achieve their positive intentions than jockeying for advantage. We all need help getting off the road to Abilene.
